tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69484822015-09-17T01:20:46.351-07:00Shashank's MusingsI've now moved my writing to http://shashank.ramaprasad.com/Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-65459973978944228922014-03-24T19:46:00.004-07:002015-06-25T12:59:54.314-07:00Shashank Ramaprasad's new blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://shashank.ramaprasad.com/">Shashank Ramaprasad's blog</a> is now hosted on <a href="http://github.com/">Github</a>, and I use a custom domain:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://shashank.ramaprasad.com/">shashank.ramaprasad.com</a></b></span></div><br />I will try to post more often there, and in particular, post more on technical topics that are on my mind.<br /><br /></div>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-71354646057374203752009-08-04T17:04:00.006-07:002009-08-04T17:50:09.989-07:00Wanted: A Wireless Keyboard That Does Not Suck<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0vwBRPk-aZ0/SnjTBz8jysI/AAAAAAAAGIA/NwRfon1PEss/s1600-h/Unicomp_keyboard.jpg"><img style="border: 1px solid gray; margin: 1pt 10px 10px 1pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 140px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0vwBRPk-aZ0/SnjTBz8jysI/AAAAAAAAGIA/NwRfon1PEss/s320/Unicomp_keyboard.jpg" title="Unicomp Customizer 104 Windows keyboard (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, published under a Creative Commons licence" alt="Unicomp Customizer 104 Windows keyboard" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366270984089488066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Wireless keyboards (and mice) for PC's are obviously a convenient piece of technology, but I have two problems with the current line of available consumer models of wireless keyboards:<br /><br /></span><ol style="font-family:verdana;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_technology#Dome-switch_keyboard">Dome-switch</a> keyboards: unless you are a graybeard hacker, it is likely that the PC keyboard you are currently using is a dome-switch keyboard. This is the type that makes a mushy, almost quiet sound when you press a key. In my opinion, this technology robs all joy out of the act of typing. I prefer the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_technology#Buckling-spring_keyboard">buckling switch</a> technology — perfected by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard">IBM Model M</a> keyboards — which produces a loud and satisfying click every time you hit a key.</span></li><br /><br /><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Superfluous "Function" keys: I swear to you, the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/gallery/hardware/WOD5000_lg.jpg">Microsoft wireless keyboard</a> that I am using has this ominous looking button on top, which I am afraid to press, for I fear it may launch a nuclear attack on Tehran. Seriously, who needs all these extra keys that waste keyboard real estate? The only non-standard key I can tolerate on my keyboard is the Windows key.</span></li></ol><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Fortunately, <a href="http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/index.html">Unicomp</a> actually still makes some keyboards with the buckling switch technology, but their only wireless keyboard, the <a href="http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/sk7500wireless.html">SK-7500 wireless</a>, doesn't seem to have buckling switch keys. Also, its wireless receiver uses a PS/2 connector to attach to the PC.<br /><br />Does anyone know where I can get a wireless keyboard that does not have the aforementioned shortcomings? I will pay good money for it, too.<br /></span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-12065511055238740082009-04-23T12:07:00.008-07:002009-04-23T12:48:12.966-07:00Help My Friends Get to Mongolia!<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >This is easily the coolest thing that anyone I've known has ever been involved in. </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Arun, m</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >y college buddy, has signed up for <a href="http://mongolrally.theadventurists.com/">Mongol Rally 2009</a>. That means he and his team are going to drive from London to Eastern Mongolia. That is one hell of a road trip. Thousands of miles, </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://mongolrallyrustics.com/blog/?p=61">15 countries</a> and, I am pretty sure, some incredible adventures, over a two month period. </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >You can find out more at the <a href="http://mongolrallyrustics.com/blog/">Mongol Rally Rustics Blog</a>.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br />Arun and his team are looking for support to help them get to Mongolia. They are donating all proceeds to charities. In fact, they will even donate their vehicle in Mongolia, and figure out how to get back once they get there. Gnarly!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mongolrallyrustics.com/?id=donate"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 47px;" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" alt="Donate to the Mongol Rally Rustics' effort" title="Donate to the Mongol Rally Rustics' effort" border="0" /></a><br />So, help out for a worthy cause, if you can. <a href="http://www.mongolrallyrustics.com/?id=donate">Donate to the Mongol Rally Rustics' effort</a> (you can also click the image link above).<br /><br /><br /></span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-13516591842070960802009-02-16T19:38:00.005-08:002009-02-16T20:40:46.020-08:00Merging lists (or any sequences) in Python<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">When writing Python programs, I often need to merge a list of lists into a single list. For example:<br /><br /><p style="font-family: courier new;"> [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5], [6, 7]] -> [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]</p><br />Looking around on the Internet, I have not come across any solution better than the one I always use:<br /><br /><p style="font-family: courier new;">>>> def mergeseq( *lists ):<br />... return reduce( lambda x, y: x + y, lists )<br />...<br />>>> mergeseq( [1, 2, 3], [4, 5], [6, 7] )<br />[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]<br />>>> mergeseq( *[['a', 'b'], ['c'], ['d', 'e']] )<br />['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']<br /></p><br />If you know of any better solutions, let me know. The idea behind my solution is to use the <span style="font-family:courier new;">reduce</span> builtin, and the fact that the addition ('+') operator in Python works as expected for lists.<br /><br />Note that really, all that <span style="font-family:courier new;">mergeseq</span> is doing is to <span style="font-weight: bold;">apply </span>the addition operator to the current result and the next element in the input. So, this will work too:<br /><p style="font-family: courier new;">>>> mergeseq( 1, 2, 3, 4 )<br />10</p><p style="font-family: courier new;"><br /></p></span></span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-71711034236473644332008-08-13T12:24:00.013-07:002008-12-07T23:15:54.818-08:00The Auto-podal Tow and Other Phenomena on Indian Roads<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Updated 7 Dec 2008: </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://ashutoshmehra.net/">Ashutosh Mehra</a>, my friend from back in college, also blogged about </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://ashutoshmehra.net/blog/2008/12/autorickshaw-phenomena/">autorickshaw antics in India</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, and you can see an actual picture of the autopodal tow in action.</span><br /><br />After a week on Indian roads, I wonder:<br /></span></span><ol style="font-family:verdana;"><li style="font-size:85%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family:verdana;">That people are actually able to get anywhere at all, and</span></span></li><li style="font-size:85%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family:verdana;">That I actually drove on these roads when I lived here.<br /></span></span></li></ol><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Many Indian cities now have three lane roads — the right lane meant for use by two-wheelers like motorbikes, the middle lane for cars, and the left lane for trucks. S</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">uch traffic rules, of course, are </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">blissfully ignored. In fact, two-wheelers occupy all three lanes of the road, drive on the sidewalks when possible, and squeeze in between larger vehicles at every opportunity. Cars and trucks, on the other hand, tend to straddle the line dividing two lanes.<br /><br />Two-wheelers always make their way to the front of the traffic light at every intersection, like the vanguard of some randomly assembled army. Somehow, they always know when the light is going to turn green. Ironically, though, two seconds before the light turns green, these modern day cavaliers dash through the intersection, thereby making it a fatal strategy to try and rush through a yellow light in India.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0vwBRPk-aZ0/SKM69WLLERI/AAAAAAAACzs/VM8BoStZisA/s1600-h/autorickshaw+crushed+hindu.jpg"><img style="margin: 4pt 5px 5px 4pt;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0vwBRPk-aZ0/SKM69WLLERI/AAAAAAAACzs/VM8BoStZisA/s400/autorickshaw+crushed+hindu.jpg" alt="Autorickshaw crushed in between two buses" title="An autorickshaw that has seen happier times (Courtesy: The Hindu Group, 2006)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234092017533522194" align="left" border="0" /></a> Auto rickshaws, which are, as far as I know, a uniquely Indian mode of transportation, commit so many transgressions on Indian roads that the subject deserves its own library of work. But among the more entertaining of these is what I call the <span style="font-weight: bold;">auto-podal tow</span>, wherein the driver of one auto-rickshaw gets behind the rickshaw that needs a tow. He then sticks out his foot and pushes the other rickshaw forward, while driving his own. Significant distances are thus covered. This feat of supreme agility is performed with much nonchalance, while taking up as much width of the road as possible. Often, the drivers of the two auto rickshaws can be found engaged in conversation, oblivious to the honking of the other riders stuck behind their coupled vehicles.<br /><br />In Chennai, the auto-rickshaws are equipped with fare meters, but not a one of the meters is actually used. Fares are agreed upon by the driver and the passengers beforehand. I read somewhere that auto-rickshaws have less power than a high-end lawnmower. That, by itself, may not seem significant, until you also know that a single auto-rickshaw is regularly used to transport up to five grown men, or a dozen schoolchildren, or the entire livestock of a small village.<br /><br /></span></span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-39336957144959043692008-07-12T21:48:00.001-07:002008-07-12T21:48:29.437-07:00Sending Shorts in Action<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="260" height="195" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&amp;photo_secret=05430ebf00&amp;photo_id=2579857920&amp;show_info_box=true"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&amp;photo_secret=05430ebf00&amp;photo_id=2579857920&amp;flickr_show_info_box=true" height="195" width="260"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27088217@N04/2579857920/">Sending Shorts in Action</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/27088217@N04/">Nizz0</a></span></div>That's me climbing in my American flag-themed shorts. This was at Castle Rock, about a month ago. Good times.<br clear="all" />Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-50537691720968674212008-01-25T10:09:00.000-08:002008-01-25T13:23:41.949-08:00Can I Haz Ur Internetz?<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">A friend asked me to appraise all the hoopla surrounding Web 2.0 for an article for </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://sandpaper.bitsaa.org/cover/index.htm">the BITS alumni magazine</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Here is my contribution:</span><br /><br /><br />Web 2.0. The very mention of these words make my skin crawl, like when you see that creepy older relative from your childhood, who was a little too fond of having you sit on his lap. Its funny how very few people actually define Web 2.0, but every two-bit scumbag company in Silicon Valley is ready to jump on the bandwagon.<br /><br />So, what exactly is Web 2.0? Whence did it come to haunt the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internets_%28colloquialism%29">Internets</a>"? Around 2004, a company called Google introduced two web-based applications: GMail and Google Maps. These applications felt "richer" and more responsive than most web applications before. Google resurrected a long-forgotten browser/HTTP feature (the infamous "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMLHttpRequest">xmlHttpdRequest</a>") that allowed websites to fetch data asynchronously from a Web Server. GMail and Google Maps were truly novel, useful web applications. But we can't say the same for the efforts of the inevitable shit-stream of me-too companies that followed.<br /><br />Today, the Internet is littered with retarded-sounding Web 2.0 efforts like Wishlistr, twittr, tumblr, etc., which have no real revenue source, serve no real purpose, and make no underlying engineering advancements, but simply rely on what <a href="http://www.uncov.com/">uncov.com</a> appropriately calls "loser-generated content" (<span style="font-style: italic;">you create the content, we will make the money</span>), tagging, and "social networks" (more on <span style="font-style: italic;">these</span> later). It reminds one of the three-phase business plan of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underpants_Gnomes">Underpants Gnomes in that South Park episode</a>:<br /></span><ol style="font-family:verdana;"><li><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Build AJAX-y/Flash-y website,</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >???,</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Profit!!!<br /></span></li></ol><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Web 2.0 applications are supposed to share a few common properties: making the browser richer in functionality and more responsive ("pages load faster!"), using tags to add a semantic layer, and encouraging user-collaboration, etc. Never mind that the HTTP hack used to provide these "features" breaks the most basic rule of web-browsing (unless carefully worked around): the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Back </span>button on your browser. The HTTP protocol is fundamentally unsuited for the kind of flashy jugglery these Web 2.0 ass-clowns are trying to pull off. The whole effort is akin to putting lipstick on a pig. But it hasn't stopped these Webtards from trying anyway. A search for AJAX libraries on Google yields way more results than it should.<br /><br />The biggest <span style="font-style: italic;">me-too</span> Web 2.0 offenders have to be the dime-a-dozen attempts to create websites for managing TO DO lists. I mean, come on, the ultimate solution for managing todo lists has already been created: its called a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sticky note</span>. I don't need to login to a fricking computer to remember to get milk from the grocery store.<br /><br />A discussion on Web 2.0 can't be complete without mention of the 800-pound gorilla of Web 2.0 efforts, the one site to rule them all: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Facebook</span>. Admit it, you have an account, and you have wasted at least an hour a day Poking friends and stalking that girl from that party. There is now an ecosystem of parasitic companies whose <span style="font-style: italic;">raison d'etre</span> is to build "Applications" for Facebook. Lets look at one of the more popular Applications: "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Superpoke</span>". What, pray, does this application allow you to do? You can <span style="font-style: italic;">"throw a virtual sheep at", "grope", "spoon"</span>, or even <span style="font-style: italic;">"dry hump"</span> that special someone. If <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>doesn't woo her, nothing will. Then, there is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Facebook Gifts</span> application. Let me break this one down for you. You pay Facebook a dollar to send someone a fricking <span style="font-style: italic;">image file</span> of such things as <a href="http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v43/9/2386512837/app_3_2386512837_2349.gif">cakes, monkeys, and champagne glasses</a>. To be honest, I am miffed that I didn't think of this one first. I would be rolling in so much cash I wouldn't be writing this shitty blog. Apparently, this Application is very popular with my friends. 48 out of my 50 friends have sent Facebook Gifts to each other. I feel like an outcast.<br /><br />And then there are blogs. Blogs, per se, need not be Web 2.0, but the inevitable march of Web 2.0 progress is slowly taking over the "blogosphere" (great word, by the way). I went to a database conference recently. There were real companies like eBay, Powerset, etc., which were talking about ways they were solving real problems with their huge data sets, when someone from a company called Bloglines (I vomited a little in my mouth when I heard that name) took to the podium and said, without a hint of sarcasm, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Our mission is to index every blog post ever written</span>". Oh great. They want to index every badly written, narcissistic and ultimately meaningless outpouring of thought on the internet. Someone didn't get the memo: It takes an <span style="font-style: italic;">infinite</span> number of monkeys typing on an <span style="font-style: italic;">infinite</span> number of typewriters to produce anything worth reading. Of course, the irony of it hasn't escaped me — I am one of them.<br /></span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-11380052989323184482007-09-04T00:54:00.000-07:002007-09-04T10:48:54.662-07:00Bouldering at Castle Rock (Labor Day 2007)<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://reason.cs.uiuc.edu/deepak/">Deepak</a> and I went bouldering at Castle Rock State Park near Los Gatos, CA. We were supposed to fly to the Grand Canyon this long weekend, but we canceled our flight tickets at the last minute, because we couldn't get a campsite at the bottom of the canyon. Bouldering turned out to be fun in itself, though. Here's the video I made:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z2ULNzSRrMc"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z2ULNzSRrMc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /></span></span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-62851891979218032722007-07-17T23:21:00.000-07:002007-07-18T11:16:00.850-07:00Mt Adams, WA: Trip Report<table style="width: 432px; height: 83px;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight: bold;">Date:</td><td>14 July - 15 July, 2007</td></tr> <tr><td style="font-weight: bold;">Attendees:</td><td>Shashank, Manjunath and Sunder</td></tr> <tr><td style="font-weight: bold;">Trail:</td><td>South Climb (starting at Cold Springs campground)</td></tr> <tr><td style="font-weight: bold;">Elevation reached:</td><td>11,500 ft. out of 12,276 ft.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />First, the pictures:<br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab visible ontop" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf"></a><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&amp;noautoplay=1&RGB=0xEEEEEE&amp;feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fshashank.ramaprasad%2Falbumid%2F5088202767976909265%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="365" width="500"></embed><br /><br />Next, the report:<br /><br />We first stopped at the <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-adams/">Mt Adams Ranger Station</a> at about 2pm. There, we bought Cascades Volcano Passes, which also served as our Wilderness Permit to go above 7,000 ft. on Mt. Adams. We next drove to the Cold Springs campground (5,000 ft.) at 3:15pm on Friday. The campsite is in the Mt. Adams recreation area, just off Hwy 141 in Trout Lake, Washington. We parked right next to the South Climb trailhead. It took us about 1.5 hours to get our packs set up, after which we set off (5pm).<br /><br />Sunder took off ahead on the trail, like a mountain goat. Carrying heavier packs, Manjunath and I were slower. I was practically walking on all fours, stooped by the pack-mule sized load on my back. I felt thankful I had my hiking poles. The trail is well-marked up to an elevation of about 7,000 ft. after which the mountain slope gets mostly rocky. We climbed for about 2.5 hours, and gained an elevation of about 2,500 ft. At this point, I called a stop, since there wasn't much daylight left, and I know its not a pleasant experience setting up camp at night. I was a bit worried, since we were mostly above the tree line, and it was real windy. We set up our tent anyway, next to a clump of rocks and brush.<br /><br />We decided to cook dinner inside our tent: a potentially dangerous thing to do, when dinner involves burning propane inside a tent made of inflammable material. But, we were exhausted and starved. And, as I mentioned earlier, it was too windy outside to light a fire, let alone keep it going. Dinner was a rather sorry affair, involving some chicken noodle soup, and spring vegetable mix. Note to self: next time, spend more than two minutes at the grocery store to pick up food for the hike.<br /><br />We tried to get some sleep after dinner, but the wind kept up all night, rocking our tent. It made me wonder if it might have been a better idea to camp at a lower elevation, below the tree line. On our way up, we met people who did so. But, as we found out later, we probably camped at the best possible altitude.<br /><br />We set an alarm for 4am the next morning. We woke up on time, made breakfast (oatmeal and hot cocoa) and broke camp. We left our tent standing after placing rocks inside. We packed light daypacks, and left the rest of our stuff in the tent. We headed out at about 6am (late!). Within an hour, we reached the snow line. We put on our crampons and trudged up the snow. We hit Lunch Counter at about 9am. Lunch counter is a flat expanse of land at about 9,000 ft. I was surprised by the number of people who had camped here -- it was way windier up here.<br /><br />At this point, Pike's Peak, the false summit of Mt Adams was becoming prominently visible at the top of a huge, steep glacier. Our task now was to trudge up this face of the mountain for an elevation gain of 2,500 ft. Climbing up a steep incline of snow and ice at a high altitude is a very exhausting, yet unique, experience. At an elevation of 10,000 ft., there really aren't too many obstacles in your line of sight. Every time I stopped to take a breath, I could see the green valleys of the Pacific Northwest stretch out as far as the eye could see, punctuated by Mounts Hood and St. Helens in the distance. Shafts of sunlight pierced the clouds, selectively lighting the valley floor below.<br /><br />I was afraid we might have problems with the high altitude. But even at 10,000 ft., the worst I experienced was being a bit out of breath, which could simply be exhaustion. And exhausted we were. I focused on settling into a rhythm with my breathing, and climbing. I decided to take 50 steps and then pause for a breath for about 10 seconds. This strategy really helped, and soon, I was feeling energetic. I was also helped by the fact that I was literally walking in the footsteps of others. The hardened ice made stepping easier.<br /><br />By about 11am, I reached Pike's Peak, the false summit of Mt Adams, at 11,500 ft. Sunder had made it to the top about 10 minutes earlier. But he was completely exhausted, since he went off course, and used up a lot of energy to get back on trail. Moral: Follow the crowds up the glacier. I was raring to go on. The real summit was in plain sight from where I stood, just another steep incline about 800 ft. tall. Manjunath too reached the false summit. But just then, out of nowhere, clouds moved in, reducing visibility substantially. There was also the possibility that they could be storm clouds. At this time, we decided to turn back. We did see others who continued on to the summit.<br /><br />Going down Mt Adams is a tricky affair. There were those who hiked up with their skis and snowboards. They just skied or snowboarded down gracefully. The rest of us had to either walk down the steep icy face of the mountain, or slide down it ('glissading'). We chose to do the latter, since that would be faster. But boy, was that a bad idea. I did not realize how much speed you can gain sliding down the snow, even using the ice-ax to break my slide. At one point, I was sliding too close to the rocks on one side of the glacier, and I ended rushing straight into them. I was lucky I ended up hurting only my elbow and not my head. After that, I decided I would walk down the whole slope, no matter how long it took.<br /><br />Going down Mt Adams is tricky also because there are many snowy slopes down and they all look the same. I took the right path all the way back to our camp. But Manjunath and Sunder were not so lucky. They arrived at our tent almost a hour after me, after making a few wrong turns. Tip: as you go up the mountain, keep looking back occasionally, so you know which way you came. We broke up our tent and headed down the mountain by about 3pm. We reached the trailhead by about 5pm, completely sore and exhausted.<br /><br />In summary, it was a really good first high-altitude mountaineering experience. We went at pretty much the best time. The weather was agreeable mostly. There was a crowd on the mountain, and that was actually a good thing, since I learned from watching others.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-91879350607861374902007-06-15T23:11:00.000-07:002007-06-15T23:49:43.429-07:00Summer of HikesI am going to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon">Portland, OR</a> next month, with <a href="http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=12259803556060046017">Manjunath</a>, where the plan is to hike <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood">Mt Hood</a>. Manjunath and I go way back. He and I went to school together since first grade. In preparation for the hike, we are hiking various peaks in the bay area, using the invaluable <a href="http://www.bahiker.com/index.html">Bay Area Hiker </a>website for guidance. Last weekend, I hiked up to Eagle's Peak at <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517">Mt Diablo State Park</a>. Tomorrow, we are going to hike Mt. St. Helena in <a href="http://www.bahiker.com/northbayhikes/rlssp.html">Robert Louis Stevenson State Park</a>, a couple hours North of San Francisco.<br /><br />Pictures from last weekend's hike:<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fshashank.ramaprasad%2Falbumid%2F5074262822864428385%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-37384044898155465892007-06-15T18:22:00.000-07:002007-06-15T18:35:15.391-07:00San Francisco Hippie Fest 2007: A Brief ReportLast Sunday, I checked out San Francisco's annual hippie fest, also known as the <a href="http://www.haightashburystreetfair.org/">Haight-Ashbury Street Fair</a>. A stretch of Haight St. (about 15 blocks) was closed to traffic. Live music played at both ends of the stretch. Stalls were set up on both sides of the street. By my estimation, the crowd was in the tens of thousands.<br /><br />The scene was quite authentic, down to the dreadlocks, the unshaven armpits (I'm talking both sexes here), the love and peace signs, the reggae music, and such. Also highly visible were the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Krishna">Hare Krishnas</a>, chanting and roving through the crowded streets, spreading their special brand of blissful slackerism. Stalls sold beads, amulets, bracelets, hemp clothing, and other trinkets that are somehow perceived to be of value by hippies. Also on sale were paraphernalia like bongs, glass pipes, hookahs, etc. for smoking, um, I don't know, tobacco. If you stood for any time on Haight St. during the festival, however, the wafting smells were certainly not of tobacco, if you catch my drift. If you are still hazy about what I am referring to, there were stalls selling a book called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Cannabible</span>, and handing out leaflets promoting a certain "Cannabis Action Network" (Cannabis and action? Sure. If by action, you mean, eating all the cookies in the house afterwards).<br /><br />Verily, it was quite fascinating to observe hippies in their natural habitat, among others of their kind. If this was just a paltry street fest, then I can only imagine what <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man">Burning Man</a> must be like, in person. I am so stoked for next weekend's <a href="http://www.sfpride.org/">Gay Pride</a> parade (featuring dykes on bikes).<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Overheard at the fest:</span> "What is cannabis?"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sign of the day:</span> "Please donate $ for marijuana research. Will smoke it all".Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-17706294784848618182007-05-14T23:36:00.000-07:002007-05-15T00:11:43.143-07:00Cab conversation in San Francisco<style type="text/css">table.convtbl { border-collapse: collapse; border: solid 0px; } table.convtbl td { vertical-align: top; padding: 0.5em; }</style> I was recently in a San Francisco cab with some Indian friends. We were discussing things to do at <a href="http://www.nps.gov/pore/">Point Reyes National Seashore</a>, about 30 mi. North of San Francisco. An excerpt of our conversation follows:<br /><table class="convtbl"><br /><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: right; width: 25%;">Friend (to me):<br /></td><td style="">"You can go whale watching at Point Reyes. There's a big lighthouse. My girlfriend and I went up to get a good view."</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;">Asian cab driver:<br /></td><td style="vertical-align: top;">"What the fuck were you doing whale watching, man? That's like the white man's thing &mdash; whale watching."</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;">Friend:<br /></td><td style="">". . ."</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;">Cab driver:<br /></td><td style="">"So, did you get any, for doing all that whale watching with your girlfriend?"</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;">Friend:<br /></td><td style="">"No, we didn't see any whales."</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;">Cab driver:<br /></td><td style="">"Fuck the whales, man! I'm talking about later that night."</td></tr></tbody></table> My friend refused to answer the question.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-88284822668475254032007-03-29T09:48:00.000-07:002007-03-29T10:44:02.887-07:00Silicon Valley: First ImpressionsAbout two weeks ago, I moved to Mountain View, California from Boston, MA. I am starting a new job at <a href="http://www.efrontier.com/">a startup</a> here. I live in an apartment complex in Mountain View with <a href="http://www.k06.net/james/band/IMG_3430.JPG">James, my new roommate</a>. When I mentioned to a friend in Boston that James was Asian, the first thing he said was that James and I'd be like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366551/">Harold and Kumar</a>. James has a pet hamster, <a href="http://www.k06.net/james/Dottie1.jpg">Dottie</a>. Dottie, being nocturnal, spends hours at night going round and round the hamster wheel in his cage. It cracks me up every time he puts his head out of the wheel to see if he's actually gotten somewhere. I can almost see the disappointment when he realizes he's just where he started. He keeps doing it anyway.<br /><br />I had barely reached California before I had my first run in with the law. James drove me to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&hl=en&amp;q=off+ramp&near=el+camino+real+and+escuela+ave+mountain+view,+ca&amp;amp;layer=&ie=UTF8&amp;z=15&ll=37.393107,-122.096343&amp;spn=0.017491,0.029011&om=1">a bike shop</a> on historic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Camino_Real_%28California%29">El Camino Real</a>, where I bought <a href="http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/road/3/11474/">a new road bike</a>. With great enthusiasm, I started biking back to my apartment less than a mile away. I had hardly gone half-way, before I was stopped by a cop for running a red light. Fortunately, the man let me go without a ticket, but not before first verifying that the shiny new bike was indeed mine, and not stolen.<br /><br />Everything is pretty much the same out here on the West Coast, but with little differences. You have the same stores, fast food chains, etc. I walked into a <a href="http://www.target.com/gp/homepage.html">Target</a> store that was so similar to the one in Somerville - down to the arrangement of the aisles - that I could walk around the store blind-folded. But instead of <a href="http://www.stopandshop.com/">Stop &amp; Shop</a> on the East Coast, you have <a href="http://shop.safeway.com/superstore/default.asp?brandid=1&amp;page=corphome">Safeway</a> here. Thankfully, <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joe's</a> is here too.<br /><br />The one big bonus of moving to the Bay Area was an immediate and drastic positive change in the weather. I am still getting used to the fact that <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=weather%2094040">every day can be nice</a>. I wake up to cloudless, blue skies every day. I am also getting used to zipping up and down <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Highway_101_in_California">US Highway 101</a>, the backbone of Silicon Valley. Speaking of Silicon valley, I had a mini culture shock upon my arrival. Driving on Segways, playing volleyball at lunch, lava lamps on everyone's desk, free snacks and soda at the workplace -- all seem to be the norm here.<br /><br />There are also many more immigrants of all stripes here. Driving a rental car on Sunday, I noticed groups of (illegal?) immigrants waiting around for work on El Camino Real. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland,_California">Oakland</a> seems to have a noticeable black population (as opposed to Silicon valley, where I have seen none). But mostly, I was struck by the profusion of Indians here. <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=saravana%20bhavan%20near%20mountain%20view%2C%20ca">Specialty Indian restaurants</a>, Indian TV channels, dyed in the wool Punjabi cab drivers, middle-aged Indian men and women strolling down the streets in <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/17/images/2006081703790201.jpg">saris</a> and <a href="http://dept.kent.edu/museum/costume/bonc/2geographicsearch/India/dhoti2.jpg">dhotis</a>, the sound of Indian-accented English, apartment complexes completely rented by Indians, etc. made me realize how much fewer Indians there are in Boston.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-49662723216440955442007-03-16T08:36:00.000-07:002007-03-16T10:28:10.328-07:00JetFlu Airways<span style="font-style: italic;">Update at 1:16pm: </span> Wow, someone from JetBlue headquarters read this post and emailed me (in an unofficial capacity)! He mentioned that my flight is still scheduled for departure. I am heartened to know that JetBlue listens. Its a rare corporate trait, and I appreciate it. Thanks, JetBlue.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update at 12:36pm: </span> I am not as mad as I was an hour ago. I was also finally able to track my flight status on JetBlue's website. As of 12:36pm today, my flight is still <span style="font-weight:bold;">On Time</span>. So, may be I will be able to fly after all. I guess I will get to the airport and find out. JetBlue, I still hate you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jetblue.com/">JetBlue Airways</a> fucked up. Again. It is March 16, and we are scheduled to get <a href="http://www.centredaily.com/128/story/42901.html">about a foot of snow here in the Northeast</a>. It also happens to be the day I am scheduled to fly on Jetblue flight 471 from Boston, MA to San Jose, CA. Only, I wake up to read that <a href="http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/03/16/jetblue_cancels_215_flights_due_to_storm/">JetBlue has preemptively cancelled more than 200 flights</a> operating out of the Northeast (mostly from JFK and LaGuardia). What's worse, I have been spectacularly unsuccessful trying to find out if my flight is one of the canceled flights. JetBlue's website is completely unresponsive ("Server too busy"). Their phone lines have been jammed to oblivion by anxious customers. <a href="http://www.massport.com/logan/a_default.aspx">Boston's Logan Airport website</a> and customer service representatives insist that there is no JetBlue flight 471. Fan-fuckin'-tastic.<br /><br />On <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day">Valentine's day</a>, I booked my JetBlue flight. On that day (February 14), when the Northeast was hit by a regular winter blizzard (about 10" of snow), JetBlue was in the news for <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/15/AR2007021501853.html">fucking up majorly at JFK</a>. Due to bad weather, planes -- both departing and just arrived -- were stranded on the tarmac for up to 8 hours. With passengers in them. Can you imagine spending 8 hours going absolutely nowhere inside a plane? Especially if you can see the terminal from the window by your seat. But I still gave them the benefit of doubt. Also, it couldn't possibly happen again, now, could it? Well, it could. And it did.<br /><br />Bottom line: I still don't know if I will fly today or not. Its this uncertainty that sucks.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Hey, JetBlue: Eat shit and die.</span> I realize that was unnecessarily harsh.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-15288091733840374282007-03-10T00:36:00.000-08:002007-03-10T09:40:08.739-08:00Pink Floyd & I: The End of A Relationship<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"Leave ... but don't leave me."</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com/musics?lid=ngmdBAKY_wF&aid=kteLDMrjybG&amp;sid=lYsRmiY2DPC"><span style="font-style: italic;">Breathe</span>, </a><a href="http://www.google.com/musics?lid=ngmdBAKY_wF&aid=kteLDMrjybG&amp;sid=lYsRmiY2DPC">Dark Side of The Moon (1973)</a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />This is a re-post of <a href="http://www.geocities.com/shashank025/endfloyd.html">an article on my earlier homepage</a> from sometime in 2004.</span><br /><br />It was with great sadness that I recently ended my one and only meaningful relationship. For the same reason many relationships end: I <span style="font-style: italic;">outgrew</span> my love for The Band That <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Barrett">Barrett</a> Built (and left).<br /><br />Goodbye, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd">Pink Floyd</a>. Its time to take down <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gig_in_the_Sky">the great gig In the sky</a>. There will always be a special place in my heart for you. But I think its best that I move on. There was a time in my life when I spent days thinking only about you, and the beautiful music you made. I would <a href="http://www.google.com/musics?lid=YZUrWbxsVyD&aid=kteLDMrjybG&amp;sid=fHPZUS9JmCI">keep talking</a> about you, to anyone who cared to listen. In hindsight, I was blinded by love, and I failed then to see your shortcomings. I remember once reading someone call your lyrics <span style="font-style: italic;">trite</span>. Oh, the blasphemy! At the time, I was furious, <a href="http://www.google.com/musics?lid=YZUrWbxsVyD&aid=kteLDMrjybG&amp;sid=DiZ-1OwiqGG">lost for words</a> even. But now I see there was some truth in that criticism.<br /><br />Our relationship has served its purpose, and now I must move on. There won't be another like you, but all good things must come to an end. I hope there is someone out there who loves you more than I ever did, though I doubt it.<br /><br />OK, what do I really mean? Well, for a start, I have left behind the time when I listened to the entire <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Division_Bell">Division Bell</a> album (or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wish_You_Were_Here_%28album%29">Wish You Were Here</a>, sometimes) every day. Occasionally, multiple times in a day. Secondly, I started to critically listen to Pink Floyd's music, instead of simply worshiping every song they ever produced. I can now admit that <a href="http://www.google.com/musics?lid=9TVsc1d1fFF&aid=kteLDMrjybG&amp;sid=wUzLY_lTN6J"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pow R. Toc H.</span></a> is an awful song, even though its an <span style="font-style: italic;">early</span>. So were most songs on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Cut_%28album%29">The Final Cut</a>. However, I will punch you in the face if you talk nasty about <span style="font-style: italic;">Dark Side of The Moon</span>.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-68713657609957717382007-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:002007-03-06T16:26:58.557-08:00Fun with Probability<a href="http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/Personal/dabbott/">Prof. Derek Abbott</a> at the <a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a> posed a list of questions as "<a href="http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/Personal/dabbott/imponderables.htm">Imponderables</a>". One of the questions, involving <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probability">probabilities</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expected_value">expectations</a>, caught my eye. I am going to reproduce that question here (edited), along with my "answer" to the question:<br /><blockquote style="background-color:rgb(245,245,245); padding: 0.5em; text-align: justify;">If someone comes to you and tells you, "Give me any amount of money you like. I will toss a fair coin. If it is heads, you win and I will double your money; if it is tails, you lose and I will give you only half your money back". You play this game, because if the amount you bet is <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>, you can win either 2<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>/2, giving an expected return of 1.25<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>.<br /><br />Now consider the following related game: Someone presents you with two envelopes and says, "One envelope contains 2<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> and the other contains <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>/2. Pick an envelope". Then when you've picked an envelope, this person asks if you want to keep that envelope or swap it for the other one. What strategy should you adopt? Swap or not? Let us complicate it a bit further: Suppose you have the option of looking inside the first envelope. What then?<br /><br />What is the fundamental difference between the two games described above? Another related question is: does the act of observing the amount in the first envelope change the probabilities in question?</blockquote><br />First, some terminology: Let <span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">1</span></span> be the strategy of staying with the first envelope, and let <span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">2</span></span> be the strategy of swapping the first envelope for the second.<br /><br />In the version of the game where the player can not see the contents of the first envelope, it is easy to see that a player's expected earning is 1.25<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> with either strategy <span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">1</span></span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">2</span></span>. Let us focus on the version of the game where the player is allowed to see the amount in the first envelope.<br /><br />Consider that you are the player, but you have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterograde_amnesia">short-term amnesia</a>, rendering you unable to remember the value of <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> from the previous time you played the game.<br /><br />Suppose you play the game 20 times, following the strategy <span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">1</span></span>. If the first envelope is chosen at random from the two envelopes, you can expect the first envelope to contain <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>/2 in about 10 games, and 2<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> in the other 10 games. In fact, this is true <span style="font-style:italic;">a priori</span>: It is true even before you see the amount in the first envelope. It follows that your average earning per game is 1.25<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>.<br /><br />Similarly, suppose you play the game 20 times, following the strategy <span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">2</span></span>. Observe that if the first envelope is chosen at random like before, you can expect that the second envelope contains <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>/2 in 10 games and 2<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> in the other 10 games. Once again, this is <span style="font-style:italic;">a priori</span> true. Seeing the amount in the first envelope does not change the fact. Clearly, your average earning per game is 1.25<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span> again.<br /><br />So, both strategies are equally beneficial, in both versions of the game. To be formal about it, let E[S] be the expected return for strategy S. Let Y and Z be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_variable">random variables</a> representing the amounts inside the first and the second envelopes, respectively.<br /><br />Clearly, Pr(Y = <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>/2) = Pr(Y = 2<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>) = Pr(Z = <span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>/2) = Pr(Z = 2<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>) = 1/2.<br /><br />Let F be the event that the player looks inside the first envelope. The crucial observation is that the event Y = N/2 is independent of F. So are the events Y = 2N, Z = N/2 and Z = 2N.<br /><br />Therefore, in both versions of the game,<br />E[<span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">1</span></span>] = E[Y] = 1.25<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>, and<br />E[<span style="font-style:italic;">S<span style="vertical-align: sub; font-size: 60%;">2</span></span>] = E[Z] = 1.25<span style="font-style:italic;">N</span>.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-83435506559248083542007-03-01T18:57:00.000-08:002007-03-01T20:02:00.307-08:00A Literal Appeal to English SpeakersFrom the Desk of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Language Nazi:</span><br /><br />I don't claim mastery over the English language, either in its written form, or in diction. But it irritates me when I have to repeatedly encounter misuse of the language by native English speakers. My pet grouse is with the misuse of the word "literally". Virtually every use of this word that I have come across has been incorrect. It kills me a little every time. A like-minded soul even <a href="http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/van/144733448.html">ranted about the abuse of the word "literally" on craigslist</a>.<br /><br />My fellow English speakers, I urge you to be sparing with your use of the word "literally". For example, you might say:<blockquote style="background:rgb(250,250,250);">"News of John's resignation was literally a bolt from the blue to me."</blockquote>Unless you were <span style="font-style:italic;">actually</span> struck by lightning and burned to a crisp when you heard news of John's resignation, that is incorrect usage. Instead, say:<blockquote style="background:rgb(250,250,250);">"News of John's resignation was <span style="font-weight: bold;">virtually</span> a bolt from the blue to me."</blockquote>When in doubt, use the word "virtually" in place of the word "literally". Both words have the same number of syllables; and "virtually" is probably what you should have used in the first place. Other acceptable substitutes: "practically" (more forceful, but to be used with caution), and "really" (much less forceful, but widely applicable).<br /><br />So, the next time you speak to me, do not misuse the term. Or I will break open your head. Literally.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-17819540222193219702006-11-02T17:02:00.000-08:002006-11-02T17:20:38.174-08:00Gazzag can suck my ballsWhy is everyone and his grandmother clogging my inbox with invites to join the latest social network -- "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazzag">Gazzag</a>"<sup>1</sup>? Now, I know social networks are the latest fad -- hell, I am on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1003112">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=13077612317415470297">Orkut</a> -- but seriously, a network named Gazzag? Who would name <span style="font-style:italic;">anything</span><sup>2</sup> that? "Gazzag" sounds like the gurgling noise a serial killer's choking victim might make as he is strangled to death. The name is as appealing as catfood.<br /><br />I don't care if Gazzag is giving away a bullion of gold to each member everyday -- its horrendous, unimaginative name is enough to keep me from ever trying it out. So, friends, with all due respect, please stop sending me invites to join Gazzag. I want to be in a social network named Gazzag as much as I need another asshole on my forehead.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:70%"><sup>1</sup> Usually, I link to websites I talk about. Gazzag doesn't deserve one. A link to the Wikipedia article on Gazzag is enough.<br /><sup>2</sup> Apparently, Gazzag originated in Brazil, so it might mean something in Portugese. Well, Brazilians, sorry, but better luck next time with names.</span>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-24594121974985150262006-10-15T16:59:00.000-07:002006-10-15T15:59:14.741-07:00Smart Keywords for Google Maps in Firefox<style type="text/css">.blogimg { border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px; } div.stepcontainer {width:100%; align: center; overflow:auto;} div.steptext {float: left; width:35em; text-align:justify;} div.figno { float: left; width:9em; text-align:right;} div.figtext {float: right; width:80%;} div.centeredfig { float:center; width:90%;} div.stepimg {float: right; width:80%;} table.sample {border-width: thin thin thin thin; border-spacing: 0px; border-style: solid solid solid solid; border-color: rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235); border-collapse: separate; background-color: white; } table.sample th { border-width: thin thin thin thin; padding: 3px 3px 3px 3px; border-style: solid solid solid solid; border-color: rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235); background-color: white; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } table.sample td { border-width: thin thin thin thin; padding: 3px 3px 3px 3px; border-style: solid solid solid solid; border-color: rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235) rgb(235,235,235); background-color: white; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } </style> In this article, I will describe how to utilize the <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/smart-keywords.html">Smart Keywords</a> feature (also referred to as <strong>Quick Search</strong>) in <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/">Mozilla</a>'s <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Firefox browser</a> to quicken the tasks of finding directions, or simply going on a virtual snooping expedition with <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a>. You can, of course, apply this technique to your favorite web-based mapping service.<br /><br /><div class="stepcontainer"><div class="steptext"><span style="font-style:italic;">Figure 1</span>, showing directions from Boston to Providence on Google Maps using a Firefox Smart Keyword, "map":</div><div class="stepimg"><a name="frombostopvd">&nbsp;</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/1600/0_map_from_bos_to_pvd.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; cursor:hand; text-align:center; align:center; border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/400/0_map_from_bos_to_pvd.0.jpg" alt="Google Maps directions from Boston to Providence using a Firefox Smart Keyword, 'map'." title="Google Maps directions from Boston to Providence using a Firefox Smart Keyword, 'map'."/></a></div></div><br /><br />A Smart Keyword in Firefox gives you a shortcut for executing a <abbr title="Text input box where you type in search terms">search form</abbr> on almost any webpage. Consider, for instance, how you search the web using Google: normally, you would navigate to <code>google.com</code>, and then enter your search terms into the search form. But because Firefox has the Smart Keyword "google" bound to this search form, you can simply enter this keyword along with your search terms into Firefox's <abbr title="The browser widget where you type in the address, or the url of a webpage.">address bar</abbr>.<br /><br />For example, if you want to see all the movies playing near the zip code 02145, you can type the following at the address bar:<br /><div style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(235, 235, 235);"><code style="margin-left: 1em;">google movies:02145</code></div><br />This is the equivalent of entering the following at the address bar:<br /><div style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(235, 235, 235);"><code style="margin-left: 1em;">http://www.google.com/search?q=movies%3A02145</code></div><br />Go ahead, Firefox users, try it!<br /><h4>Define your own Smart Keywords for Google Maps in Firefox</h4> Firefox also allows you to define your own Smart Keywords. Because I like its interface, I frequently use Google Maps for driving directions, or to simply see the vicinity of some location I might want to visit. So, I made a Smart Keyword for Google Maps. I can now type in the following at the address bar in Firefox to get directions to drive from Boston's Logan Airport to Providence's T F Green Airport (see <a href="#frombostopvd">Figure 1</a>):<br /><div style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(235, 235, 235);"><code style="margin-left: 1em;">map from:BOS to:PVD</code></div><br />Here's how you too can do this:<br /><table class="sample"><tr><td valign="middle"><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.</span></td><td valign="middle">Go to <span style="font-weight:bold;">Google Maps</span> (<a href="http://maps.google.com/">http://maps.google.com/</a>).</td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.</span></td><td><div class="stepcontainer"><div class="steptext">Right click on the search form; select 'Add a keyword for this search...'.</div><div class="stepimg"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/1600/1_map_right_click_cropped.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; cursor:hand; text-align:center; align:center; border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/400/1_map_right_click_cropped.jpg" alt="Browser menu that appears when right-clicking in a search box" title="Browser menu that appears when right-clicking in a search box" /></a></div></div></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.</span></td><td><div class="stepcontainer"><div class="steptext">Enter a name for this keyword (mine: "[map] Google Maps"), and your desired key binding (mine: "map"). Select which bookmarks folder you want to save your keyword in (I chose 'Quick Searches' under 'Bookmarks'). Your new key binding should be available for use, with a bit more tweaking.</div><div class="stepimg"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/1600/2_keyword_addition_dialog.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; text-align:center; align:center; border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/400/2_keyword_addition_dialog.jpg" border="0" alt="Dialog box for keyword addition in Firefox" title="Dialog box for keyword addition in Firefox" /></a></div></div></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.</span></td><td><div class="stepcontainer"><div class="steptext">Browse to the Bookmarks folder in Firefox. This is available in the menu item 'Manage Bookmarks' under the Bookmarks toolbar ('Organize Bookmarks', if you are using Firefox 2.0, or later).</div><div class="stepimg"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/1600/5_browse_to_bookmarks_folder.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; text-align:center; align:center; border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/400/5_browse_to_bookmarks_folder.jpg" border="0" alt="Menu item under the 'Bookmarks' toolbar in Firefox" title="Menu item under the 'Bookmarks' toolbar in Firefox"/></a></div></div></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.</span></td><td ><div class="stepcontainer"><div class="steptext">Browse to the folder that contains your new Smart Keyword binding (I saved mine in the 'Quick Searches' folder under 'Bookmarks'). Select it, and then click on the 'Properties' button in the menubar (this will open a panel where you can edit this new binding).</div><div class="stepimg"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/1600/6_bookmarks_folder_contents.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; text-align:center; align:center; border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/400/6_bookmarks_folder_contents.jpg" border="0" alt="Contents of the 'Bookmarks' folder in Firefox" title="Contents of the 'Bookmarks' folder in Firefox" /></a></div></div></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-weight:bold;">6.</span></td><td ><div class="stepcontainer"><div class="steptext">Modify the 'Location' value, to this: <div style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(235, 235, 235);"><code style="margin-left: 1em;">http://maps.google.com/maps?q=%s&f=q&hl=en</code></div>This figure shows the modified value:</div><div class="stepimg"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/1600/7_modified_quick_search_definition.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; text-align:center; align:center; border: solid 1px silver; padding: 5px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/1666/848/400/7_modified_quick_search_definition.jpg" border="0" alt="Modified 'Location' for the maps keyword" title="Modified 'Location' for the maps keyword" /></a></div></div></td></tr></table><br />That's it! Try the search I demonstrated earlier on in the post (<a href="#frombostopvd">Figure 1</a>).Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-53302208029289100172006-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:002006-09-29T07:51:03.996-07:00Fun with cats (involves catnip)I live with three cats. Yesterday night, we got them stoned on catnip. Blackie, one of them, chases after a laser pointer in this video. Not exactly a scorcher, but more of an experiment:<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NGG_hyGJCpc"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NGG_hyGJCpc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="350"></embed></object>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-32016631415280937262006-09-24T09:04:00.000-07:002006-09-24T09:10:44.855-07:00How to paint a roomWhoever said painting a room is an easy job had no idea what they were talking about. Take it from me, its hard. How do I know? Well, I am painting my room. My room was formerly occupied by a 7-year old kid, who fancied pink for the walls. Fearful of the effect of staying in a pink room for too long, I finally decided to take action and color it pastel. Yes, pastel. A lime greenish tint. Its a step up.<br /><br />I am chronicling, with pictures, my experience of painting the four walls of my room. I hope the pictures and step-by-step descriptions will be of help to anyone who should wish to paint their room.<br /><br />Here's the album (I will keep updating it as I progress with the job):<br /><br /><div style="text-align:center; width:194px; font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:83%;"><div style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/PaintingMyRoom"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/RRYGmnwdABE/AAAAAAAAAQM/G119qGMCD7k/PaintingMyRoom.jpg?imgmax=160&amp;crop=1" width="160" height="160" style="border:none;padding:0px;margin-top:16px;"></a></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/PaintingMyRoom"><div style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Painting my room</div></a><div style="color:#808080">Sep 24, 2006 - 26 Photos</div></div>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-87014633887954779982006-09-19T05:53:00.000-07:002006-09-19T05:58:01.924-07:00Hiking the Sandwich Range in the White Mountains, NHOn Sunday (September 17, 2006), I bagged two peaks in the <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~ellozy/sandwich.html">Sandwich Range</a>: <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~ellozy/sandwich.html#WhitePass">Mt. Whiteface and Mt. Passaconaway</a>. Both are just over 4,000ft. and our loop around the two peaks was about 11.6mi. Here are some pictures:<br /><div style="text-align:center; width:194px; font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:83%;"><div style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/SandwichRange"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/RQ_XpZDSABE/AAAAAAAAAKg/uZat2VfeVQc/SandwichRange.jpg?imgmax=160&amp;crop=1" width="160" height="160" style="border:none;padding:0px;margin-top:16px;"></a></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/SandwichRange"><div style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Sandwich Range</div></a><div style="color:#808080">Sep 19, 2006 - 15 Photos</div></div>Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-1157499952613819932006-09-05T16:17:00.000-07:002006-09-05T16:45:53.300-07:00Mencken on America<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_L_Mencken">H. L. Mencken</a> is one of my favorite American intellectuals. I, like many others, was shocked by his ability to put into searing words some of our darkest suspicions, and our most cynical opinions. I lived and studied in <a href="http://www.unitn.it/index_eng.htm">northern Italy</a> for a period of six months before I came to America. Naturally, I compared, and still compare, the two experiences. I found America somewhat crass, and sometimes downright vulgar in sensibility, in comparison to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trento">Trento</a>. I used to find it difficult to articulate the difference until I read this passage in Mencken's essay, "<a href="http://www.io.com/gibbonsb/mencken/american.html">On Being an American</a>":<br /><blockquote><br />And [in America], more than anywhere else I know of or have heard of, the daily panorama of human existence, of private and communal folly—the unending procession of governmental extortions and chicaneries, of commercial brigandages and throat-slittings, of theological buffooneries, of aesthetic ribaldries, of legal swindles and harlotries, of miscellaneous rogueries, villainies, imbecilities, grotesqueries and extravagances—is so inordinately gross and preposterous, so perfectly brought up to the highest conceivable amperage, so steadily enriched with an almost fabulous daring and originality, that only the man who was born with a petrified diaphragm can fail to laugh himself to sleep every night, and to awake every morning with all the eager, unflagging expectation of a Sunday-school superintendent touring the Paris peep-shows.<br /></blockquote><br />What is slightly unsettling about this passage is the fact that America's penchant for crass is not recent. This essay was written in 1922.<br /><br />Another passage from an article written in 1920 in the <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/">Baltimore Sun</a> is almost seer-like in its foresight, and certainly topical. Mencken speaks thus about candidates campaigning for national office:<br /><blockquote><br />The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the <span style="font-weight:bold;">most devious and mediocre</span> — the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.<br /><br />The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and <span style="font-weight:bold;">the White House will be adorned by a downright moron</span>. <br /></blockquote><br />That great and glorious day, obviously, is upon us. It has been, since 2000. (Some would say it first dawned in 1980, when Reagan took office.) Note also, in the passage, the damning assessment of the "plain folk". To their credit, the "plain folk" of the time suffered Mencken's aspersions with a fair degree of tolerance, even wreathed him in laurels. It is doubtful they would, today. And that is a tragedy.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-1156921660727520902006-08-30T00:00:00.000-07:002006-08-30T00:13:08.360-07:00Sleepless in SomervilleIts 1.30am. I get into bed. Every bone in my body screams out in relief. I am surprised. I didn't know I was tired. But now I feel weary as all get out. Must get sleep.<br /><br />Its around 2.15am. I know because my notebook's screensaver came on sometime ago. Its set to start after a half hour of inactivity. It makes dull, pink patterns on the walls, and on the ceiling. I am still trying to sleep. But my mind is still too active. Its that new gaming rig I want to buy. I spent all evening researching it, and I am stoked.<br /><br />2.30am. I had almost crossed over into sleep, but I am roused back up. A car alarm just went off. That is just great. Exactly what I need for sound sleep.<br /><br />2.35am. The car alarm is still going off. It seems to be coming from <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=from:+53+franklin+st+somerville+ma+to:+franklin+st+and+oliver+st+somerville+ma&ie=UTF8&z=19&ll=42.383322,-71.085073&spn=0.001006,0.001808&t=h&om=1">a side street a couple of apartments down the street from mine</a>. Its monotonous wail has not only snatched away what sleep I was slipping into, but now I am irritated. Irritation is not good for sleep.<br /><br />Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a gunshot, accompanied by a flash of light. My heart starts pounding. Irritation has been replaced by fear. Someone shouts, "Get in the house!". A female voice responds, indistinct to me. "Get in the fucking house", the first voice screams again. I want to lean out the window and see what's happening, but I am afraid I will catch a stray bullet to the head. Sleep is a distant memory now. Second gunshot rings out. "Holy shit!", I am thinking. I hear my roommate stir in the other room.<br /><br />A cop car, and some fire trucks are approaching the scene, as is evident from the flashing red and blue lights, and the distinctive sirens. Now, I am a bit emboldened. I lean out the window, and I can see smoke rising from that side street. I see a fireman standing nearby. From my partially obstructed view, I can also make out shadows of men moving about on the street. More activity.<br /><br />I hear my roommate going out to investigate. He comes back, and I find out that a car parked on that street caught on fire. Each "gunshot" was apparently the sound of a tire popping from the heat. And the neighbor wanted his son to stay in the house, while he tried to make sense of what the hell was going on. That accounted for the shouting. But why the fuck did the car catch fire? I don't know. Arson, maybe? Faulty electricals?<br /><br />Whatever the fuck it was, it made sure I am not getting any more sleep for a few more hours. At least I have a reason to get up late tomorrow. And yeah, its 3am now. Wish me good night.Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6948482.post-1155428137525437622006-08-12T17:04:00.000-07:002006-08-12T17:36:32.433-07:00BUDA Ultimate Disc TournamentI played in an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport)">Ultimate</a> league organized by the <a href="http://www.buda.org/">Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance</a> (BUDA). The flying disc used in the game is better known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frisbee">Frisbee</a>, which actually is a trademark. I have to say that Ultimate is, without exception, the sweetest sport I have played. Today was the tournament capping a season of league games, and <a href="http://buda.org/hatleagues/scores.php?section=showTeamSchedule&team=19242&league=17603">Lava Mouse</a> (my team) made it to the semi-finals. I didn't play because of an injury, the cause for which is too embarassing to mention here.<br /><br />Pictures from the tournament are here:<br /><br /><div style="text-align:center; width:194px; font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:83%;"><div style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/album_background.gif) no-repeat left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/BUDAFrisbeeTournament"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/RN5N_HYqABE/AAAAAAAAAHk/u-DIm7VJFgo/BUDAFrisbeeTournament.jpg?crop=1&amp;imgmax=160" width="160" height="160" style="border:none;padding-top:16px;"></a></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/shashank.ramaprasad/BUDAFrisbeeTournament"><div style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">BUDA Frisbee tournament</div></a><div style="color:#808080">Aug 12, 2006 - 25 Photos</div></div><br /><br />UPDATE: While browsing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport)">Ultimate page on Wikipedia</a>, I saw a picture of my team captain in the article! Gareth was the captain of Lava Mouse, and he is also the captain of Contra, the Ultimate team at Washington U. in St. Louis. The picture shows him making a layout over another guy in a bid for the disc. Neat!Shashankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065604028497476702noreply@blogger.com1